1. Field of Invention
The preset invention relates to a golf club grip, and more particularly to an anti-slip and control arrangement that includes an upper anti-slip arrangement connected coaxially with a lower control arrangement to form a tapered tubular body for attaching to a holding end portion of a shaft of a golf club.
2. Description of Related Arts
Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. All lower handicapped golfers recognize that the main key of having a good golf swing mostly depends on whether the golfer correctly grips the golf club.
No matter whether a golfer uses an interlocking grip, a natural grip or an overlapping grip, a proper grip is one of the most important fundamental. If the golfer grips his or her golf club too tight, his or her arms will be too tense to release the body twisting power to maximize the club head speed at impact of the golf ball through a golf swing. On the other hand, if the golfer grips his or her golf club too loose, the golf club may slip out of his or her hands through the golf swing. Also, the power from the uncoiling body will fail to transmit to the golf club through the golfer's hands. The flying trajectory, such as straight, draw or fade, of the golf ball can also be controlled by the gripping hands of the golfer.
The term “grip” is misleading since it implies a forceful pressure. In fact, a more proper way is to “mold” the golfer's hands into the proper position, and then to hold the golf club with the proper amount of pressure that allows the hands to work together to control the club head. For a right-hand golfer, his or her left hand will be the upper holding hand and his or her right hand will be the lower controlling hand. For a left-hand golfer, the right hand will be the upper holding hand and the left hand will be the lower controlling hand.
The middle finger H1, ring finger H2 and little finger H3 of the upper holding hand H, i.e. the left hand of a right-hand golfer, are used to hold on the upper end portion of the grip G of a golf club, as shown in FIG. 5. The three holding fingers H1, H2 and H3 should apply an appropriate pressure to the grip G that is enough to support and hold the golf club through the grip G. In other words, the golfer should be capable of holding the golf club at the upper end portion of the grip G without the other hand and the thumb and index finger contacting the grip G. By means of the three holding fingers H1, H2 and H3 with appropriate pressure applied to the grip, the arm of the golfer should become an extension of the golf club hinged to the golfer's body with his or her shoulder. The appropriate holding pressure of the three holding fingers H1, H2, H3 applied to the grip G varies with the weight and length of the golf club as well as the nature of the grip G. The minimum holding pressure should be just enough to hold the golf club to prevent slipping off the hand through the golf swing. Then, the index finger and the thumb of the upper holding hand H should be simply placed on the grip G in position as shown in FIG. 5.
Then, simply place the lower controlling hand H′ on a middle portion of the grip G in such a manner that the ring finger H2′, the middle finger H3′ and the index finger H4′ are placed on the grip G and aligned with the middle finger H3 of the upper holding hand H while the little finger H1′ of the controlling hand H′ is overlapped on top of the middle finger H3 of the holding hand H for an overlapping grip, or the little finger H1′ of the controlling hand H′ is interlocked with the middle finger H3 of the holding hand H for an interlocking grip. Also, the index finger and the thumb of the upper holding hand H should be simply placed on the grip in position as shown in FIG. 5 while the center of the palm of the controlling hand H′ is facing the target. The grip pressure of the controlling hand H′ is applied at the contacts of the middle phalanges H21′, H31′ of the ring finger H2′ and the middle finger H3′ of the controlling hand H′ with the grip G.
In fact, by varying a few pressure points, you can better shape your shots. For example, in order to hit a fade, the golfer can grip the golf club a little bit tighter with the litter finger H1, the ring finger H2 and the middle finger H3 of the holding hand H. Also, when more pressure is exerted by the thumb and index finger of the controlling hand H′ of the golfer, a right-to-left trajectory will be resulted.
In addition, the golfer can control the ball flying trajectory between a hook to a slice simply by adjusting the gripping position of the controlling hand H′ with respect to the gripping position of the holding hand H, such as a strong grip or a weak grip. The grip pressure of the controlling hand H′ is for feeling and controlling but not for supporting and holding the golf club. Therefore, the grip pressure of the controlling hand H′ should be merely tight enough to control the club but still light enough to allow you to feel the weight of the golf club throughout the swing.
It is why most of the golfers wear gloves with their holding hands to enhance frictional contact with the grip but keeping their controlling hands bare to ensure feeling for swing control.
No matter whether the golfer grips the golf club somewhat firmly or softly, what is really important is keeping your level of grip pressure constant throughout the swing. Therefore, the nature and surface condition of the grip can substantially affect the golfer to apply the appropriate grip pressure. Some golf club grips provide anti-slip design on the grip surface for better frictional contact with the golfer's hands, it can substantially help to prevent slipping and provide constant grip pressure throughout the swing for the holding hand but may adversely affect the control and feeling of the controlling hand. Some golf club grips provide smooth and soft grip surface for better controlling but it also invites the holding hand to grip tighter to prevent slipping off. However, any excess grip pressure through the hand may also tense the arm and shoulder muscles and unexpectedly affect the golf swing. How to produce a grip that fits to the different needs of the holding hand and controlling hand of a golfer becomes a challenge for the development of a better club.